


Work, work, work

by LeeGale



Series: Ad lunam, ut amica, ut mi stultus [11]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: How Do I Tag, Jealousy, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:01:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24288574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeeGale/pseuds/LeeGale
Summary: Mishima's first shift at LeBlanc goes a little differently than planned...
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Mishima Yuuki, Kurusu Akira/Mishima Yuuki, Mishima Yuuki/Persona 5 Protagonist, One-sided Mishima Yuuki/ Akechi Goro
Series: Ad lunam, ut amica, ut mi stultus [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1695079
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Work, work, work

Mishima hummed to himself as he cleaned a table about an hour later. LeBlanc was mostly empty, the only occupants being Boss (who was working behind the counter to cook up another batch of curry), Akira and Futaba, who were taking turns to play some sort of hand-held game, and an older couple who were sat in a corner booth. It was... peaceful, the quiet chatter from the couple, Akira and Futaba, and the TV background noise made for a soft afternoon atmosphere. Mishima couldn't help but relax, feeling surprisingly more at home at the cafe than he did his own house. Well, it wasn't actually that surprising, considering everything that had happened in that house, but still. Most people would have found it odd. But Mishima wasn't most people, was he? He'd been through things most people wouldn't even wish on their worst enemies... But he'd survived. Yes, he'd changed, he was jaded, he had issues because of what he'd been through, but he survived...

He smiled slightly when Akira laughed aloud, the sound distracting him from where he'd been wiping a table clean. It was such a nice sound... Mishima wanted to make Akira laugh, to make him feel happy enough to release that beautiful noise, but he didn't know how to. He wasn't funny, or smart, or-

"Mishima," Boss called, catching the blue teen's attention. Stopping what he was doing, the teen in question turned to look at Boss, tilting his head curiously. The older man gestured for him to go to the counter, which he did quickly. That made Boss smile slightly, and he spoke almost fondly, "You want to learn how to make my curry?"

Mishima blinked in surprise before nodding, rounding the bar so he could stand in the kitchen area. Boss smiled at his enthusiasm before telling him to wash his hands. Efficiently, the teen did so before returning to Boss's side, and the older man smiled down at him.

"Alright, today you'll just be working on cutting up the ingredients. I'll teach you some more your next shift," he stated, and Mishima nodded. Boss went on to explain just how he wanted everything to be cut, demonstrating a few things, before telling Mishima to cut everything that he'd left out, in the order he'd been shown them. The blue teen nodded before taking the knife Boss had used for the first ingredient and starting. He was silent as he worked, entirely focused on the quick movement of his knife, until Boss called to him, asking for the first ingredient. He placed the knife he'd been holding down before grabbing the chopping board with the ingredient on it and passing it to Boss, who made an impressed noise before adding it. As he did, Mishima returned to chopping. This continued until Mishima finished with his chopping, although he did wait until Boss had asked for the last ingredient before washing his hands again and asking what Boss wanted him to do next. The older man told him to have a coffee and take a break, so he made himself and Boss a coffee each (he felt guilty having one himself but not giving one to Boss) before moving so he was stood by Akira and Futaba, who seemed to be staring at him. It was silent for a long moment until Akira spoke up, voice strangely tight.

"You're pretty good with that knife," he stated, smiling slightly. Mishima blushed and ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck as he thanked Akira quietly. He only managed to take that compliment because he knew it was true, although that was only because he'd spent so long using them...

"Akira was telling me about what happened at your school today!" Futaba exclaimed, and Mishima tensed. The ginger girl seemed oblivious as she started to babble about Akechi being a jerk, but Akira noticed. He sent Mishima a questioning look, to which the bluenette responded to with a shake of his head. Akira continued to frown so, taking the lead for once, Mishima smiled down at him and carefully leaned against the bar, letting the arm that wasn't attached to his coffee-holding hand fall onto and around Akira's shoulders. The taller teen gaped up at him, unused to him being the one to initiate contact, but Mishima played it off by focusing on Futaba. She was quick to raise an eyebrow at the touch, smirking, but she didn't press, instead asking how Mishima knew how to fight. The blue teen hesitated before replying, shrugging slightly.

"I... My parents both worked for the government, so were worried that there was a chance that someone may have attempted to hurt me in order to get to them. To stop that, they had me start karate when I was just a couple of years old. After I did well with that, they had me start on judo. When I started at my middle school, I dropped karate -kinda, my aunt and I spar occasionally- because I needed to join a club there but didn't have time to when doing karate and judo. Whilst there, the club I joined was boxing, which I continued when I joined Shujin. At least, until I joined the volleyball team..." memories of his time with the team flashed to his mind, accompanied by the phantom pain, guilt and loathing that the thoughts always evoked. Akira picked up on the way Mishima's voice got a little sadder at the mention of the team, reaching up and gently grasping the hand attached to the arm over his shoulder. Mishima's heart skipped a beat and he smiled at Akira before continuing, "Wh... When I was with the team, I didn't have time for any other extracurricular activities, so I had to drop boxing and judo. Since K... Kamoshida was, though, I've rejoined the school boxing team and picked up mixed martial arts."

There was a moment of silence, and Mishima felt his walls building themselves up. This is why he didn't tell people about his history of training, they usually judged him or thought he was lying or (in the case of his classmates who'd known about his past and knew he was being abused) asked why he'd never done anything to stop Kamoshida-

"That's so cool! Makoto has a history of aikido, but that's nowhere nearly as much stuff as you've done!" Futaba speaking brought him back from his mind, and he smiled slightly. At least, until he was struck by a thought and looked down at Akira.

"If Niijima knows aikido, who would you guys need me to teach you to fight?" he asked quietly, and the taller teen seemed to hesitate before sighing and replying under his breath, muttering something about how he just wanted to spend more time with him, but didn't think Mishima would want that at the time, not without a way he could be helpful... The bluenette blinked in surprise before pausing. Akira was right - he wouldn't have accepted that the taller teen just wanted to hang out with him at the time... Mishima smiled slightly, leaning a little closer to Akira and speaking quietly, "I... I get that. I wouldn't have accepted that you wanted to hang out with me at the time..."

Akira blinked before smiling back brightly, and Mishima noticed something he'd never seen before - Akira had a dimple! That was... AHH! Too cute! That- Mishima forced himself to ignore how his mind was screaming that Akira was adorable in favour of smiling back before focusing on Futaba, who was watching them closely. She was frowning, examining them, and Mishima felt his hackles rise. He didn't like that analytical look in her eyes...

"It's kinda weird how far you've come with, you know, accepting that Akira likes you..." the ginger girl commented, and Mishima relaxed. Good, she wasn't going to ask unwanted questions... The blue teen smiled and shrugged, downing the last of his coffee before replying.

"How you guys acted when I came by on Tuesday really helped," he stated, heart skipping a beat when Akira gently squeezed his hand (he still hadn't let go!!!), "I... I didn't have many friends growing up, so before that, I didn't think Akira actually wanted to be friends. I knew I was useful because I run the Phansite, but other than that? I didn't think I had anything that would make... anyone  _ want  _ to be my friend, but you guys showed me otherwise..."

His little speech made Futaba and Akira frown, but the bell to the cafe ringing distracted the trio and made Mishima tense up. Sakamoto walking in made Mishima relax, albeit only a little, and he smiled at the blond.

"Oh! Mishima! Futaba! I... I didn't know you two were gonna be here..." Sakamoto greeted when he got close enough, seemingly hesitant with the other teen's being there... Mishima sent him a reassuring smile before looking over at Boss, who gestured for him to get back to work.

"I'm on the clock," he stated, nodding at Sakamoto before going to the sink and washing his mug out, handing it to Boss so the older man could dry and put it away. He then moved to the register, his customer service smile in place (Boss had already shown him how to use the till, thankfully, so he had no issues) as he spoke politely, "How can I help you, Sakamoto?"

Sakamoto blinked, raising an eyebrow, before smiling slightly, and stating that he'd like a hot chocolate. Mishima hesitated, as he didn't know Boss's procedure with hot chocolate, but the older man himself jumped in, saying he'd teach Mishima how he did it whilst making Sakamoto his drink. Both teens agreed, and Mishima watched closely as Boss explained how he did it. His method was a little different to how Mishima did it at home, but that made sense. He did have to make it quicker than Mishima did, so he always melted the chocolate before he added the milk, whereas Mishima always melted the chocolate into the milk, and Boss always added any extra sugar needed on the stove, but Mishima added it in the cup... Sakamoto was pleased by the drink, though, so that was all that mattered. Mishima smiled slightly at the blond, even as Boss told him not to ring Sakamoto up. Something about all of Futaba and Akira's friends getting free drinks and food at the cafe... Mishima nodded, but was promptly distracted by Sakamoto talking to him.

"Since when do you work here? When Boss offered last week..."

"It's my first shift," Mishima replied, shrugging with a smile tugging at his lips, "And when Boss offered... I was all over the place. I'm feeling a little more stable now."

Sakamoto made an understanding noise before sipping at his drink. It was quiet for a long moment, Sakamoto too occupied by his drink to talk, until the old couple that had been in a booth stood up, thanking Boss for the coffee and leaving. Mishima waited until they were out of the door before walking over to their booth, carefully grabbing their cups in one hand and stacking and collecting their plates with the other. Cautiously, he carried them over to the sink, smiling when Boss said he'd wash them up. With that taken care of, the bluenette grabbed a washcloth and spray before heading back over to the table. He made quick work of cleaning it up, and was soon back behind the counter, storing the cloth and spray away again. Noticing that Boss had had to just leave what he was washing up on the side, the bluenette grabbed a dishcloth and one of the cups Boss had washed, drying it quickly and efficiently before putting it away. He repeated the process until everything was dried and in their right places before focusing on Boss, who was watching him with a raised eyebrow. The teen tensed, unsure how to react to the older man's piercing gaze, but Boss smiling made him relax minutely.

"Good job," he stated, and Mishima blushed slightly. Always so unused to praise... It was only then that he noticed that Sakamoto and Akira were nowhere in sight. His confusion must have been apparent on his face because Boss spoke again, "The boys went up to Akira's room. Something about being useless gays?"

Mishima nodded, smiling, before he was struck by a sudden thought. Akira was... really close to Sakamoto. And he really cared for the blonde. Maybe... as more than a friend? Akira... Mishima forced his jealousy and feelings of inadequacy down as Futaba spoke to him, asking if he wanted to take turns playing on her console whilst it was so quiet. He agreed, ignoring how his mind screamed that Akira obviously had a crush on Sakamoto as he sat on the stool next to Futaba. She adjusted how she was sat so that he could watch over her shoulder, and they settled in to play...

-=-=-=-=-=-=--=--=

Sakamoto was still upstairs with Akira when Mishima's shift ended. After the old couple that had been there left, literally no one else came by, so Mishima had spent the remainder of his evening gaming with Futaba, then helping Boss cook some rice for dinner for everyone. But Akira and Sakamoto were still upstairs... It made something ache in Mishima's chest, but he ignored that in favour of calling up the stairs, telling the boys that dinner was ready, and that Boss had made enough for Sakamoto to eat too. The sound of Sakamoto whooping reached Mishima's ears as he moved away from the stairs, going to a booth and sitting opposite Futaba. The ginger girl smiled, and Mishima smiled back. There was a bang, and a curse, but then Sakamoto appeared at the bottom of the stairs, grinning. He rushed over to the booth the other teens were occupying, sliding in beside Futaba.

"Hey! Sorry for stealing Akira, I needed to talk to him," the blonde apologised, and Mishima realised that he wasn't angry at Sakamoto for catching Akira's attention. He couldn't be, because he could kinda understand why Akira wanted the blonde. Sakamoto was... funny, and kind, and brave, and pretty attractive. He was too brash and loud and outspoken for Mishima's tastes, but he did have a lot of good qualities, so the bluenette knew why Akira would want him. He had all of the qualities that Mishima lacked... The blue teen just nodded and smiled, pretending he was completely fine as Akira emerged by the staircase. The taller teen wasted no time in moving to sit next to Mishima, and the bluenette nearly flinched out of his skin when Akira leaned against his side. Nearly. He managed to stop himself at the last second, forcing himself to smile as Boss started to set their food down in front of them. Soon, everyone was eating, Sakamoto telling some sort of crazy story as they did. Even as the reminder that he could never have Akira floated at the edges of his mind, Mishima smiled and laughed along, feigning complete calm and happiness. It was only once everyone had finished eating that Sakamoto left, although he did ask Mishima for his phone number before he did. Mishima had been hesitant at first, but he caved eventually, taking Sakamoto's phone and typing his number in. After that, the blonde left. Of course, it was late, so Mishima turned to the remaining trio and smiled.

"I need to head home now," he stated, but Boss putting a hand on his shoulder made him tense up. The older man noticed instantly, removing his hand and speaking up.

"Your pay," he stated, handing Mishima an envelope with his money. The bluenette hesitated before smiling and nodding, thanking Boss before saying he needed to grab his stuff and head for the train station. Without another word, he headed up to Akira's room. Once there, he was quick to shed Akira's top (the smell of the other teen clung to him, making his heart ache as he was again reminded that he wasn't good enough) and tug his school top back on. He was folding Akira's top up when the taller teen arrived at the top of the stairs, frowning...

"Are you okay?" he asked after a moment of silence, watching Mishima closely. The bluenette turned to look at the taller teen, his breathing catching in his throat when he realised that Akira was staring at him...

"Yeah," the smaller teen lied, tilting his head like he was confused, "Of course I am. Why?"

Akira seemed to hesitate before sighing, stepping closer until he was able to place a soft hand on Mishima's arm. The smaller teen didn't move, didn't speak, barely dared to breathe. He had no idea what Akira was up to, but the taller teen speaking quietly told him, "I'm worried about you, Yuuki. Specifically, about you and Akechi. You... Do you have a crush on him?"

Mishima couldn't fight the surprised laugh that escaped him, but Akira frowning made him sober up. The taller teen seemed... disturbed by the idea that Mishima may have liked Akechi... Although, considering how much of a threat the detective was to the Phantom Thieves, it made sense... Mishima gave Akira a reassuring smile, lifting a hand and resting it on top of Akira's (and ignoring how he felt, yet again), as he replied softly, "No, I don't."

Akira continued to frown, so Mishima sighed and spoke again, "Akira, I don't have a crush on Akechi."

"But you call him attractive and-"

"Akira," Mishima cut off Akira's protests, voice firm as he held direct eye contact -ignoring how his brain was screaming at him for being this... bold- before smiling slightly, "I will admit, he is physically attractive, but that's it. I don't have a crush on him."

Akira seemed to hesitate for a long moment before relaxing and nodding, smiling slightly and muttering a quiet 'okay'. Mishima smiled back, relaxing, before he was struck by a sudden thought. Wh... Why was Akira so worried abut if he had a crush on Akechi? Why did he care? What did it matter? Why-

"Why are you so worried that I have a crush on him?" Mishima asked softly, ignoring how confused he felt. Akira tensed again, and Mishima worried that he may have done something wrong, that Akira wasn't really worried and that he'd read the situation wrong and-

"He doesn't really have feelings for you. I don't want you to like him, date him, and get hurt... He'd just hurt you," Akira replied, looking down and off to the side. He was purposefully avoiding Mishima's eyes, almost like he was lying or hiding something... That didn't seem right, though, so Mishima just smiled slightly at him.

"I already know that," he stated, mirth in his tone and Akira looked up, confused, "He's just trying to get close to me to hurt you guys. Since he knows who you are, he is pretending to want to work with you for whatever reason -probably so he can trick you or set you up- but he also wants to hurt you more than that. He thinks you guys care about me, so he wants to use me by getting close to me and hurt me so that it affects you too."

Akira blinked in surprise before huffing out an amused breath, smiling fondly as he muttered a quiet, "You're pretty damn smart, Yuuki."

That made Mishima blush, but he brushed it off as Akira just being nice as he smiled up at the taller teen. They stayed like that for a long moment, just gazing at each other, but Boss yelling that Mishima should leave so he didn't miss his train broke the spell and the smaller teen was quick to pull away. He sent Akira a small smile as he grabbed his bag, speeding down the stairs as he threw a rushed 'goodbye!' over his shoulder. He said the same thing to Boss and Futaba before escaping into the night air. The walk to the train station was peaceful, even if it did feel like there were a pair of eyes on his back...


End file.
